diff --git a/clutter/clutter/clutter-main.c b/clutter/clutter/clutter-main.c
index 854778686..cac52249f 100644
--- a/clutter/clutter/clutter-main.c
+++ b/clutter/clutter/clutter-main.c
@@ -757,7 +757,8 @@ maybe_remove_device_for_event (ClutterStage *stage,
 }
 
 /**
- * clutter_do_event:
+ * clutter_stage_handle_event:
+ * @stage: a #ClutterStage.
  * @event: a #ClutterEvent.
  *
  * Processes an event.
@@ -769,21 +770,20 @@ maybe_remove_device_for_event (ClutterStage *stage,
  * toolkit, and it should never be called by applications.
  */
 void
-clutter_do_event (ClutterEvent *event)
+clutter_stage_handle_event (ClutterStage *stage,
+                            ClutterEvent *event)
 {
   ClutterContext *context = _clutter_context_get_default();
   ClutterActor *event_actor = NULL;
   gboolean filtered;
 
-  /* we need the stage for the event */
-  if (event->any.stage == NULL)
-    {
-      g_warning ("%s: Event does not have a stage: discarding.", G_STRFUNC);
-      return;
-    }
+  g_return_if_fail (CLUTTER_IS_STAGE (stage));
+  g_return_if_fail (event != NULL);
+
+  clutter_event_set_stage (event, stage);
 
   /* stages in destruction do not process events */
-  if (CLUTTER_ACTOR_IN_DESTRUCTION (event->any.stage))
+  if (CLUTTER_ACTOR_IN_DESTRUCTION (stage))
     return;
 
   switch (event->any.type)
@@ -793,7 +793,7 @@ clutter_do_event (ClutterEvent *event)
     case CLUTTER_BUTTON_PRESS:
     case CLUTTER_TOUCH_BEGIN:
     case CLUTTER_TOUCH_UPDATE:
-      update_device_for_event (event->any.stage, event, TRUE);
+      update_device_for_event (stage, event, TRUE);
       break;
     default:
       break;
@@ -804,7 +804,7 @@ clutter_do_event (ClutterEvent *event)
       event->any.type != CLUTTER_NOTHING &&
       event->any.type != CLUTTER_EVENT_LAST)
     {
-      event_actor = clutter_stage_get_event_actor (event->any.stage, event);
+      event_actor = clutter_stage_get_event_actor (stage, event);
     }
 
   context->current_event = g_slist_prepend (context->current_event, event);
@@ -825,20 +825,20 @@ clutter_do_event (ClutterEvent *event)
           ClutterInputDevice *device = clutter_event_get_device (event);
           ClutterEventSequence *sequence = clutter_event_get_event_sequence (event);
 
-          clutter_stage_maybe_lost_implicit_grab (event->any.stage, device, sequence);
+          clutter_stage_maybe_lost_implicit_grab (stage, device, sequence);
         }
     }
   else
     {
-      _clutter_stage_queue_event (event->any.stage, event, TRUE);
+      _clutter_stage_queue_event (stage, event, TRUE);
     }
 
   if (event->type == CLUTTER_TOUCH_END ||
       event->type == CLUTTER_TOUCH_CANCEL ||
       event->type == CLUTTER_DEVICE_REMOVED)
     {
-      _clutter_stage_process_queued_events (event->any.stage);
-      maybe_remove_device_for_event (event->any.stage, event, TRUE);
+      _clutter_stage_process_queued_events (stage);
+      maybe_remove_device_for_event (stage, event, TRUE);
     }
 }
 
@@ -891,7 +891,7 @@ _clutter_process_event_details (ClutterActor        *stage,
  * @event: a #ClutterEvent.
  *
  * Does the actual work of processing an event that was queued earlier
- * out of clutter_do_event().
+ * out of clutter_stage_handle_event().
  */
 void
 _clutter_process_event (ClutterEvent *event)
diff --git a/clutter/clutter/clutter-main.h b/clutter/clutter/clutter-main.h
index 5e1e71f43..8b84b1819 100644
--- a/clutter/clutter/clutter-main.h
+++ b/clutter/clutter/clutter-main.h
@@ -90,7 +90,8 @@ typedef enum
 #define CLUTTER_PRIORITY_REDRAW         (G_PRIORITY_HIGH_IDLE + 50)
 
 CLUTTER_EXPORT
-void                    clutter_do_event                        (ClutterEvent *event);
+void                    clutter_stage_handle_event              (ClutterStage *stage,
+                                                                 ClutterEvent *event);
 
 /* Debug utility functions */
 CLUTTER_EXPORT
diff --git a/src/backends/meta-backend.c b/src/backends/meta-backend.c
index 28317db97..51e1e590c 100644
--- a/src/backends/meta-backend.c
+++ b/src/backends/meta-backend.c
@@ -1090,6 +1090,7 @@ static gboolean
 dispatch_clutter_event (MetaBackend *backend)
 {
   MetaBackendPrivate *priv = meta_backend_get_instance_private (backend);
+  ClutterStage *stage = CLUTTER_STAGE (meta_backend_get_stage (backend));
   ClutterEvent *event;
 
   event = clutter_event_get ();
@@ -1098,8 +1099,7 @@ dispatch_clutter_event (MetaBackend *backend)
       g_warn_if_fail (!priv->in_init ||
                       event->type == CLUTTER_DEVICE_ADDED);
 
-      event->any.stage = CLUTTER_STAGE (meta_backend_get_stage (backend));
-      clutter_do_event (event);
+      clutter_stage_handle_event (stage, event);
       meta_backend_update_from_event (backend, event);
       clutter_event_free (event);
       return TRUE;
diff --git a/src/backends/x11/meta-event-x11.c b/src/backends/x11/meta-event-x11.c
index d42b33aee..e1ac17c4a 100644
--- a/src/backends/x11/meta-event-x11.c
+++ b/src/backends/x11/meta-event-x11.c
@@ -101,7 +101,8 @@ meta_x11_handle_event (MetaBackend *backend,
   while (spin > 0 && (event = clutter_event_get ()))
     {
       /* forward the event into clutter for emission etc. */
-      clutter_do_event (event);
+      clutter_stage_handle_event (CLUTTER_STAGE (meta_backend_get_stage (backend)),
+                                  event);
       meta_backend_update_from_event (backend, event);
       clutter_event_free (event);
       --spin;